


Crystal Springs

by DaniPayson



Category: The X-Files
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-17
Updated: 2019-11-17
Packaged: 2021-02-07 15:27:41
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 14,627
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21460282
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DaniPayson/pseuds/DaniPayson
Summary: Taking place a few days after Brand X, Mulder and Scully finally make it to a team building seminar.
Relationships: Fox Mulder/Dana Scully
Kudos: 49





	Crystal Springs

Packing List  
Toothbrush, toothpaste, soap and other needed toiletries.  
Black tennis shoes.  
Black athletic socks – wasn’t sure there was such a thing, but apparently there was.  
Sunscreen.  
Black belt.  
The provided black fitted polo and khaki shorts.  
Scully looked at herself in the mirror, the black polo with FBI in the silver stitched embroidery over her right breast. The one size too big khakis – apparently, they only made them in men’s sizes – and the black belt to keep them up. No jewelry was allowed to be worn, but she refused to be without her cross so she put it in a cloth bag to at least wear while she was sleeping.  
They had skipped so many of these team building seminars, that by the time they actually would be attending one, they had turned into one-week team building/mentoring retreats. Each ‘seasoned agent’ was paired up with a recent graduate from the academy. Scully flipped through the file sent to her on Katie Gilbert, born April 4, 1977 and groaned. Twenty-three. Scully was still in medical school at that age, and here was Miss. Katie from Van Nuys, California - homecoming queen three years in a row as well as salutatorian of her high school and one of the most promising graduates to come out of the academy in years. Even her file photo, with too much teeth and too much blonde hair made Scully feel inadequate; and yet, she was supposed to spend the next week grooming this girl.  
There had to be alcohol.  
Checking her watch, which would also have to be removed when she got there, Scully looked out the front window to see if Mulder had arrived. Since his health scare with the tobacco beetles, they had slept apart and she hadn’t seen him all weekend. He needed to rest his throat, and sadly even a near death experience couldn’t get him out of the mandatory retreat.  
Seeing him in that hospital bed, so close to the edge of death was so much more than Scully could take. Even thinking about it now, made her eyes fill up with tears. Brushing them away she went back to her bedroom to check to make sure she had packed everything. Four other sets of the exact same shirt and shorts, as well as four other sets of underwear and socks, her flannel pajamas because why bother being sexy with Miss. Katie in the other bed. Tossing in a few novels, since she was going to have plenty of time to read, Scully zipped up her suitcase just as she heard a familiar horn outside.  
Excited to see Mulder after three days, even after eight years together she seriously she felt like a lovestruck teenager, Scully grabbed her bag, purse, and keys. The predicted five-hour drive would get them there by noon, and check in was at two, so at least she had five hours alone with Mulder.  
As she turned from the front door of the building, all excitement left her body upon seeing the bald man in the back of the car.  
“Skinner?” she asked as she walked towards Mulder’s car, “This retreat isn’t for supervisors.”  
“No, but I want to make sure you two actually get there. Once I’m sure you can’t leave, I’ll take the train home.”  
Inaudibly groaning, Scully met Mulder at the trunk where he mouthed, “I’m sorry.” As his throat was still raw and took her bag and placed it in the trunk next to hers.  
“It’s ok.” She mouthed back before walking to the passenger side and getting into the car.  
“The threat of suspension was enough.” Scully replied as she buckled herself in, “You don’t need to babysit us for five hours.”  
Mulder smirked a reply as he buckled himself in as well and started the car, proceeding to the memorized route.  
After an hour of silence, Mulder really unable to talk without sounding like he had a vacuum shoved down his throat – which was pretty dead on – and Scully more so irritated that Skinner felt the need to come along, as they crossed into Delaware the man in the back finally said something, “I know what’s going on between you two.”  
Her eyes darting to the rearview mirror, Scully then turned to look directly at her supervisor, “What’s going on between us?”  
“I’m pretty sure I don’t have to spell it out, Dana.” He replied narrowing his eyes through the rounded glass covering them, “You left a little something in Mulder’s room in North Carolina.”  
Given Mulder felt it best to not tell Scully what happened, and even so after that one encounter in the First in Flight state he was stuck in a hospital bed unable to really do much of anything. Scully looked at him and he pretended not to notice as her attention returned to Skinner, “Is that why you decided to join us?”  
“No, well partially, but more so as a warning. The bureau is looking for a reason to fire you, well one of you.”  
Mulder shrugged as he knew he was the intended target.  
“As you’re grown adults and I’ve been expecting this for some time, all I can say is just be careful. More seasoned agents than you have lost their pensions because they couldn’t keep it in their pants.” Skinner continued looking directly at the man driving.  
Unsure how to reply, Scully nodded and as much as she had convinced herself not to feel badly about herself, now she did.  
“This isn’t a fling is it?” Skinner asked looking at the backs of their heads, “I hope you’re not risking your careers on something that isn’t going to last.”  
“No, it isn’t.” Mulder replied, his voice raspy as he took a second to look at Skinner in the rear-view mirror.  
“Scully?” Skinner said to the woman too embarrassed to speak.  
“No, sir.” Scully replied as she folded her hands in her lap, “Far from it.”  
“Good.” Skinner let out a deep sigh of relief as he focused on the cars driving by him, “I’m not fond of this mentoring program they started. Like you two can help new agents know what to do and not to do.” He said shaking his head, “Well, maybe that’s the point.”  
Trying not to be insulted, Scully turned to look at the man in the backseat, “How long did you suspect something?”  
“A year.” Skinner replied, “Maybe a little less than that, but mostly after Mulder was screaming your name in the rubber room.”  
“Two weeks.” Scully replied feeling that she at least needed to be honest with him, “Two. Weeks.”  
Shocked at the admission, all Skinner could do was nod, “Guess I was wrong, but thank you for being honest.”  
Mulder bit on his lower lip as he tried to forget the days leading to why his brain was essentially dying, at least the few days in the hospital in North Carolina and being hopped up on different medications sedated it a bit.   
Turning back to the road ahead, Scully took a moment to look at the man next to her and given Skinner was already aware of what was happening between them, took Mulder’s free hand in hers and just held it there, hoping the next week would fly by.  
Given their unwanted company, Mulder drove a bit faster than he originally intended getting them to the Crystal Springs resort by noon. They had two hours till check in and waited in the lobby with Skinner for the cab to take him to Penn Station.  
Mulder looked over the jam-packed itinerary and couldn’t help but wish he was still in the hospital.  
“Building bikes for charity.” Scully said looking over the itinerary they received a week earlier, “That will be fun.”  
Mulder nodded as right now nothing seemed very fun.  
“Cab’s here.” Skinner said getting up from the couch and looking back at the two he was sitting between, “Have a good week and remember what I said.”  
Both nodding in unison they watched as he walked out the front door and others wearing the assigned uniforms came walking in.  
“Welcome to hell, grab your itinerary.” Mulder struggled to get out before giving up and wondering if he needed to learn sign language.  
“It will come back.” Scully said wanting to care to him more than she could publicly and was just thankful he didn’t give in and start smoking.  
At two, they were able to fully check in and were given string bags which contained an updated itinerary, room key cards, a name tag, reusable water bottle with the resort’s logo, and meal tickets for each day at the resort.   
“If people knew what their tax dollars were paying for.” Scully said looking over the place, “This had to cost a fortune, and twenty different agents for three weeks?”  
“Fidelity, Bravery, Integrity.” Mulder replied, his voice a little less raspy, “Maybe the more I talk the better it will get?”  
“Just don’t push it.” Scully replied as the sound of his raspy voice was becoming too painful to bear.   
Seated in at a U-shaped meeting table with eighteen other agents, Mulder and Scully took a quick look around the room. So many fresh faces, her eyes instantly catching Miss. Katie as she chatted with the nice-looking chestnut-haired man next to her, then there were other agents who looked much older than her and just looked miserable. As the lights dimmed, they focused their attention on the large screen before them.  
“Welcome to Crystal Springs!” the overly peppy woman who was a dead ringer for Annette Funicello called out to them from the screen, “We hope you a fabulous time at our resort!” and with that the lights came on and everyone looked at one another in confusion.  
“What the hell was that?” an older agent not wearing his name tag yelled a little too loudly.  
“It was just the welcome video, Dave.” Another untagged agent replied, “Chill out.”  
“Chill out. I have to complete this stupid seminar or I can’t retire at the end of the year with my full pension!”  
“If I’m that cranky when I’m fifty...” Mulder whispered realizing the fate of what he just said, “Never mind.”  
“Never mind what?” Scully whispered back.  
“Forget it.” He said pulling out his nametag and groaning at how big they wrote FOX on the silver tag before pinning it on the left side of his shirt.  
“Sorry for the delay everyone.” Scully was shocked to see Karen Douglas walk into the meeting room. Every agent who had been in the bureau the last five years knew who Karen was. Not only did she single handily take out a serial killer at twenty-five, she was caught with her partner Jake Summers three years later while on a stakeout in Idaho. “My name is Karen Summers.”  
Well, at least they got married.  
“I’d like to thank you all for being here, and I can tell by the expressions on some of your faces that you already know who I am. Yes, I’m that Karen, the agent caught on the streets of Boise in a compromised position.”  
Murmurs went through the room which the woman with the dark hair pulled back into a low pony tail simply ignored, “Yes, I’ve heard ALL the rumors, but we’re all adults here and I’m sure we all have an embarrassing story to tell.”   
“Does leaving your bra out for Skinner to see count?” Mulder whispered to his partner before she whispered back for him to shut up.  
“I went for coffee and locked my keys out of the car.” Another agent said, thankfully taking any attention off of Scully.  
“Where was your partner?” She asked the man.  
“In the can.” He replied.  
“You mean you didn’t follow protocol?”  
“It was an emergency.” The man replied, “My partner caught food poising from the tuna fish sandwich at the local bodega.”  
Given no one else was volunteering, Karen gave up looking for an answer, “Today is easy, more of a meet and greet of sorts. Curfew is at nine, as you’re all to be in your rooms with your assigned roommates. Tomorrow, after breakfast, we will start with a morning hike to the top of the 1,500 ft. Hamburg Mountain and back down. You will be rewarded with a beautiful view of the Vernon Valley. After lunch, there will be a two-hour round of Foot Golf, which is two sports rolled into one, and is played by kicking a soccer ball - on a golf course - into an oversized hole to score – with rules similar to golf. The team with the lowest score gets a pretty cool prize.”  
“What is it?” Another agent, by the name of Chris, asked.  
“You’ll find out if you win.” Karen really didn’t see much promise in this bunch “Yes.” Karen said as another agent raised her hand.  
“Is alcohol allowed, I see there is a bar.”  
“There is a bar, and from the hours of seven to nine you are free to do whatever you like, but the bureau will not reimburse you for alcohol purchases. As you have received meal vouchers which will cover all meals and beverages with the exception of alcohol, but if you’re caught drunk or hungover during the seminar hours, you will be sent home and possibly suspended.”  
“Message taken.” Mulder replied.  
Scully watched as Katie scribbled on a notebook, “They’re so green.” She whispered to her partner.  
Mulder nodded, “I get a guy named Ted Kennedy. Seriously, that’s his name.”  
“Just don’t make Chappaquiddick jokes.” Scully replied.  
“He’s probably too young to get them even if I did.”  
“Ok, now that the questions are over, let’s all get to know one another. My name is Karen Summers, I was an agent out of the Washington DC office before transfering to the Salt Lake City field office in 1991. I was with the bureau for ten years until I was forced to resign for reasons, I’m sure most of you are already aware of. Two years after my resignation, I was asked to return as a corporate trainer. Now, I teach all of you how to not make the same mistakes I did.” She said seeming more than annoyed with the speech she had to give, “So…” she continued and started with Mulder and Scully’s end of the table, “Please introduce yourselves.”  
“My name is Special Agent Evans.” The man at the end said.  
“No special agents or last names here. For the next week you will only be referred to as…” she looked closely at his name tag, “Ron. So, tell us about yourself.”  
“My name is Ron; my wife’s name is Martha and we have two twin sons named Caleb and Anthony.” The older man with the five o’clock shadow replied.  
“And what field office are you out of?” Karen felt like she was pulling teeth.  
“New York. The main office in Manhattan” He replied which they could have guessed by the accent alone.  
“Well, nice to meet you, Ron.” She said looking at the man next to Ron. “Henry?”  
“My name is Henry; I work out of the New York office with Ron. I don’t have a wife or kids but I have a cocker spaniel named Rusty.”  
“Good…” Karen looked to Mulder, and now that she was looking more closely at this man and his name, she stepped back a bit, “Mulder?”  
That familiar annoyance Scully got whenever another woman said his name came over her as she watched how this woman reacted to him and how he reacted to her.  
Mulder nodded, “My name is Fox..” he groaned, “Yes, that is my name. I work out of the Washington DC headquarters and I’m not married, but I do have fish named Molly and Freida.”  
Karen smiled, and Scully scowled as Karen’s attention then turned to the scowling redhead. “Dana?”  
“My name is Dana; I work with Fox…” Her voice trailed off a bit as she still wanted an answer from this woman, “No pets, no fish. DC.” She crossed her arms and leaned back as she felt the annoyance flow through her.  
“Ok, nice to meet you Dana…” Karen said as she moved on to the man next to Scully.  
“What the hell…” she said through gritted teeth, “YOU didn’t say you knew her.”  
“Yes, I did.” Mulder replied, “When the scandal happened, I told you she and Diana were friends.”  
Karen looked back at them as her eyes told them to shut up and Scully simply nodded at the woman.  
“That’s all?” Scully whispered.  
“That’s all.” He replied as they turned their attention to the agents they were supposed to be ‘mentoring.’  
“My name is Katie.” Katie said in cheerleader cheerful way, “I graduated the academy last month, I haven’t yet been assigned to an office but I’m super excited to be here.”  
Even Karen found her enthusiasm exhausting as she looked at the one next to her, “Ted?”  
“My name is Ted, just like Katie I graduated last month and am still waiting for an office assignment.”  
Karen nodded as she got to the end of the table of newbies without offices and looked at all of them, “As you can see there are ten seasoned agents and ten recent graduates. Previously, all new agents were assigned to main or field offices and partners without really knowing what the job would entail or if their partner was even a good fit. I suggested partnering new agents with, for lack of a better word, older agents so they could know more about what they have to look forward to. Hoping that after spending time with the ‘older’ agents that the new recruits wouldn’t feel as nervous about their jobs. At the end of the retreat, on Friday, you will be paired with the agent we feel fits your personality and assigned a field office to report to by October 1st.”  
All of the recent graduates nodded as Karen looked at her watch, “Now, your bags have been sent to your rooms and you are all dismissed to get ready for dinner.”  
“What’s your room number?” Scully asked her partner as they stood up from the table.  
Mulder pulled the key card envelope out of his bag, “510. Yours?”  
Scully looked at hers, “509.”  
“Either next door or directly across the hall.” Mulder smiled.  
“With the homecoming queen in my room and Chappaquiddick in yours.”  
“They gotta sleep some time.” He winked before following the others out of the room.  
“Eight years?” Katie exclaimed as she placed her belongings in the top dresser drawer, “That’s incredible! By the time I will have been with the bureau eight years I’ll be thirty-one!” she nearly squealed which Scully felt in every bone in her body, “How old are you? If it’s ok to ask.”  
“Thirty-five.” Scully replied as she placed her belongings on the double bed.  
“Wow…” Katie said closing the dresser drawer, “You don’t look it, Dana. Is it ok to call you Dana?”  
Scully nodded as she carried her items to the dresser and placed them in her own drawer, “Its fine. Your enthusiasm is…unique. Not many agents have your personality.”  
“I know.” Katie replied, “My mom wanted me be a news anchor, but my dad was an agent and I just admired him so much.”  
Pausing for a moment, Scully turned to the young woman as she sat on her bed, “Peter Gilbert?”  
Katie nodded. “That’s him.”  
Closing the drawer, Scully walked to her own bed and looked directly at Katie, her previous irritation with the overly jubilant new agent replaced with nothing but empathy. “I’m so sorry.”  
Peter Gilbert was a seasoned agent, with the Los Angeles bureau thirty-years when a serial killer approached him at a gas station and slit his throat, leaving him for dead. That serial killer, was Monte Props, “Now I see why they paired us.”  
“How so?” Katie asked.  
“While still in the academy, my partner, Fox Mulder, wrote a monograph profiling the man who killed your father. It ultimately led to his incarceration and execution.”  
Katie nodded, “December 15, 1995.” She sighed, “The year I graduated high school and decided to follow in my father’s footsteps.”  
“Were you there?”  
“No, I was at UCLA. My mother and my brother went. He’s a cop too, but decided to stay with the LAPD. I guess my father was his first victim.”  
“I’m not sure, but he was ultimately caught in Washington, which is why I know so much about it because I was living in the area at the time.”  
“But you weren’t an agent yet?”  
“No, funny enough I was in medical school at the time of his arrest. I’m also a doctor.”  
“Wow…” Katie said in compete amazement, “I got the best mentor.”  
Now that she knew her history, Scully realized she may have gotten the best graduate.  
“When this is over.” Mulder said as he looked over the menu at dinner, “I’m burning all these shirts. All of them.” His voice sounding a bit better as he drank water to coat his raw throat.  
“You mean you don’t want to keep an FBI black polo for every day of the week?” Scully asked.  
“Why do you sound like that?” Katie asked him honestly curious.  
“Lung infection.” Scully said to prevent Mulder from scaring this young girl with the truth.  
“Cigarettes.” Mulder said looking at the two young agents before him, “Tobacco beetle eggs released from the cigarette smoke got into my lungs and hatched.” He said, “They had to suck them out with a Dust Buster.”  
Scully tried to ignore him as she drank her water.  
Katie looked to Scully, “Is that true?” Given how unbelievable it sounded.  
“Unfortunately.” She replied trying to forget those terrifying days. “except the Dust Buster part. It was a legitimate medical device they use on COPD patients.”  
“Don’t smoke, kids.” Mulder chuckled to himself before coughing and instantly regretted talking so much.  
After a dinner of mixed greens and a quesadilla she shared with her partner, Katie and Ted returned to their rooms as Mulder and Scully headed to the bar.  
“My treat this time.” Scully said handing the bartender her credit card as they ordered a couple glasses of red wine.  
“Not going to argue.” Mulder replied as a glass of wine was just what his head, and throat, needed, “You’re not going to be hungover are you?”  
“No..” Scully replied noticing how the wine in her glass seemed to smell a lot richer than she expected, “Not from one glass of wine…” she replied taking a sip as she looked around, “We’re not the only ones here.” She replied instantly noticing Chris with a beer along with some younger agents she already forgot the names of, “It’s going to be a looongg week.”   
Mulder nodded, “It’s already been six days…”  
“You’re keeping track.”  
“Of course, I am.” He said taking a sip, “Those moments are the highlights of my days.”  
“FOX!” The voice of Karen called out as Scully felt her internal rage starting.  
“Hey, Karen.” He said hugging her while keeping an eye on the woman drinking her wine too quickly.  
“I kept wondering if I’d run into you here.” She said.  
Not wanting to forget the little angry woman next to him, “You remember Dana from earlier.” He said.  
Karen turned and looked at Scully, “Oh, yes.” She said quickly before turning back to Mulder, “I was so sorry to hear about Diana earlier this year.”  
“I’m going to head to bed.” Scully said nodding for the bartender to give her the bill.  
Pursing his lips at her, Mulder internally begged her to stay, but given Karen was being Karen he knew that wasn’t going to happen and just watched as Scully quickly scribbled her name, shoved her credit card in her wallet and walked off without looking at him.  
“What pissed her off?” Karen said watching Scully turn the corner before she slowly turned back to Mulder and narrowed her eyes at him, “You dog.”  
“Stop it.”  
“I thought you were smarter than to get involved with your partner.”  
“It’s not like that.” Mulder groaned as his throat began to throb, “I…” he sighed and shook his head, looking down, “I love her. There.”  
“You’re going to get tossed out of the bureau.”  
“They’ve been looking for a reason to do that for years.” He replied taking another sip, “Besides, we’re being careful.”  
“Yeah..” Karen said taking Scully’s seat and looking down at the receipt, “She tipped fifty percent on two drinks.”  
“She’s a generous person.” Mulder replied, the pain in his throat a much-needed distraction from the pain in his head.  
“Just remember to stay careful, you’ve always been one of the best. I don’t believe the bureau ever realized that.”  
“Thanks for the compliment.”  
“I’m serious; Diana bragged about you all of the time. How smart you were, and how you were always two steps ahead of all other agents.”  
“She was my past; Scully is my present… and future.” For however long that may be.  
Karen nodded, “I guess I could say the same thing about Jake. Want to see our kids?”  
“Sure.” He replied even though he really didn’t want to.  
“Abigail is four and Joseph is two.” She said pulling a photo out of her wallet of two adorable dark-haired kids.  
“They look like you.” He said looking at the photo for as little time as he had to before handing the photo back to her.  
“Do you think of having any?” Karen asked, “She is a spit fire.”  
“We can’t.” he quickly replied in a direct tone, “She was abducted by some pretty terrible people a few years back and horrible things were done to her. She can’t have kids.”  
“But you said we, not she.”  
“I know what I said.” Mulder replied before finishing his drink, “I better get to bed before curfew.”  
“Yes, good idea.” Karen said getting up as well.  
“Thirty-seven-year-old man with a curfew.” Mulder said looking down at Karen, “We’re adults, we’ve had all night stakeouts and were still able to perform the next day.”  
“I know, but this way we’re sure you all get the rest you need. See you tomorrow.”  
Mulder nodded as he took the key out of his pocket and headed towards the elevators.  
“Have you seen the pools in this place?” Katie yelled out to Scully from the main room as Scully slathered moisturizer on her face in the bathroom.  
“I saw the pictures.” Scully replied back to her.  
“I hope we get a chance to actually use them.”  
Turning off the light, Scully walked back into the main room and pulled the sheets back on her bed. “Maybe there will be some team building synchronized swimming.” She said mentally rolling her eyes.  
“Maybe.” Katie chuckled at the visual of Ted prancing in the water, “Do you mind if I watch TV? I always fall asleep with the tv on.”  
As the TV in the bedroom was one of the reasons she didn’t like staying over at Mulder’s place, all Scully could do was shrug, “As long as it’s not too loud.”  
“I just like watching Nick at Nite before bed.” She said picking up the remote and searching through all the channels until she landed on The Facts of Life theme song.  
Realizing reading would be futile with the laugh track in the background, Scully turned over in bed and faced the wall just as there was a knock on the door.  
“Who could that be?” Katie said as she got out of the bed in her pink Hello Kitty pajamas and opened the door to see Mulder on the other side.  
“Can I please talk to Dana?” Mulder asked the tall girl with the mess of blonde curls.  
“Dana, it’s Fox.” Katie said walking away from the door.  
Mulder stood in the hallway as he waited for the woman in the grey flannel pajamas, he hadn’t seen her wear in weeks, to approach the door, “What?” she asked her arms crossed.  
“I guess I shouldn’t bother asking if you’re still angry.”  
“I’m annoyed.” Scully replied trying to whisper over Ms. Garett, “Why are we always running into women from your past?”  
“Karen is not from my past, she’s just a FRIEND of someone from my past. And like I said, I told you about her FIVE YEARS AGO!” he said as his voice was getting back to normal.   
“This sucks.” Was all Scully could think of to say.  
“I know it does, but we’ve made it through Monday, and we can survive the next four days and Friday night, I have plans…”  
“What kind of plans?”  
“I’m not going to ruin the surprise.” He said checking his watch, “It’s twenty till, I better get to my room.” He said and as much as wanted to kiss her he knew he couldn’t, “Goodnight, Scully.”  
“Goodnight, Mulder.” She said closing the door behind him.  
As she walked back into the main room, Scully got back into bed, not really noticing how Katie wouldn’t take her eyes off of her.  
“What?” she asked when she finally noticed the big blue eyes staring into her soul.  
“I knew it!” she nearly screamed, “You’re totally an item.”  
“Katie…”  
“No, it’s cool. I can keep a secret. I’m really good at keeping secrets.”  
Not wanting to admit anything to this woman, Scully simply looked at the TV and Tootie racing through the house in roller skates, “Get your rest, we have a long day tomorrow.”  
Katie nodded as she kept her eyes on Scully, “Being in love is a wonderful feeling, isn’t it?”  
“Not always.” Scully replied as she got under the covers and stared up at the ceiling.  
“Have you ever shot someone?” Ted asked Mulder as they headed up the Hamburg Mountain, his straw bag full of six bottles of water he purchased from the hotel store to prevent becoming too dehydrated. He was already dealing with medication that was a diuretic, but now he also had his sore throat to add to the misery.  
“Yes.” Mulder replied as he kept a mental note of how many questions Ted had asked him since the night before and he was already at fifty-two.  
“Have you ever been shot?”  
“Yes.” Fifty-three.  
Finishing another bottle of water, Mulder pulled the straw bag off his back and shoved the empty bottle inside while taking out a full one and slinging the bag back on his back all while he kept his vision focused on the redhead ten feet in front of him.  
“What did it feel like?”  
Fifty-four.  
“What did what feel like?” Mulder replied as he unscrewed the cap from the new bottle – at least he was perspiring enough to not worry about needing to find a restroom.  
“Being shot?” Ted asked, “That’s the only thing I’m afraid of.”  
“Well, it’s like a hot stick being stabbed into your chest.” Was the only metaphor he could think of to describe the feel of a bullet piercing through your upper arm and coming out the other side.  
“That sounds pretty painful.” Ted replied as he kicked a pebble.  
“Well, you could always work for another division – you don’t have to be a special agent.”  
“But that’s what my mother wants.” Ted replied, “Single parent who wants to prove she raised me to be a real man.”  
“Carrying a gun isn’t what makes you a real man.” Mulder replied his eyes never losing focus as his speed increased and Ted noticed the older man walking faster and began to speed up his pace as well.  
Pulling a small, folded piece of paper out of the back of his pocket, Mulder passed by Scully, swiftly placing the paper in the left front pocket of her kakis without missing a step or looking back.  
She felt him brush past her, his back being her current view, but it wasn’t until she shoved her hands in her front pockets that she felt something not there previously. As she and Katie walked quietly up the mountain, their minds in completely different places, Scully pulled out the folded piece of paper and looked back up at the man walking in front of her. Unfolding the piece of paper from the hotel notepad, with the Crystal Springs logo at the top, the note simply read – I love you.  
It was simple, but just reading the words he wrote and slyly placed in her pocket she felt speechless. Folding the paper and placing it back in her pocket she took a deep breath and continued the walk as Katie kept quiet about seeing what was written on the paper.  
By the time they got to lunch, Ted was on his seventy-third question. Mulder didn’t want to lose patience with the man, but given he had limited weeks left on this planet and one was being spent not being able to even touch the only woman he wanted to be with, he was getting quickly agitated.  
Scully picked at her cobb salad, all the while wishing there was a time machine that would transport them to Friday where she was free to do whatever she wanted.  
“I’m excited about Foot-Golf.” Katie said as the silence at the time was starting to make her uncomfortable.  
“Should be fun.” Ted replied as he could tell the couple across the table from them weren’t up for speaking.  
“I played soccer in high school.” Katie continued, “We went to the championship twice.”  
“That’s awesome.” Ted replied after finishing his hamburger.  
“I think we stand a shot at winning as long as the rest of the team brings it.” Ted said looking to the cranky people eating their salads.  
“Don’t worry about us.” Mulder said, “We play to win.” He looked to the woman to his right, “Right?”  
Scully nodded as her mind had felt a bit cloudy after the hike, “Yeah. Right.”  
“Are you sure, you don’t look so good.” Katie said looking at Scully.  
“I think the hike and the heat were just a little too much. I’ll be fine.” Scully replied as she took a sip of water.  
Thirty-five years old and her goal was to kick a ball into a hole. Holding the yellow and blue ball in her hands she looked up at her partner who kept his focus on the group ahead of them as he tried to figure out a strategy.  
“I really wonder what the prize is.” Katie said softly as they were to act like this was a regular golf course.  
Chris Gardner’s team ball hit a tree then bounced back and hit him in the head, knocking him to the ground.  
“Just like with regular golf.” Mulder said as Tracy Jackson kicked the ball deep into the air while someone else yelled par four.  
“All this does is remind me why I hate golf.” Scully replied tapping her nails on the ball, “There’s so many better things we could be doing right now.”  
“Tell me about it.” The other three said at the same time before they all chuckled a little and Mulder realized maybe Ted wasn’t such an annoying guy after all.  
“How is this even teambuilding?” Ted asked, “Yes, we’re in five groups of four and we have to get a ball into a hole…but it’s pretty individualized.”  
“Well..” Scully replied as she was holding their ball, “if I make a bad kick, like Chris did, whomever kicks after me has to try to fix my mistake. As a team, the goal is to get the ball into the hole.”  
“What if someone gets a hole in one?” Katie replied.  
“PAR TEN!” Someone a way ahead yelled out.  
“I don’t see that happening.” Mulder added as Karen waved at them, “And we’re up.”  
The hole with the flag in it was in was over one hundred feet away and Scully hadn’t played soccer since grade school, but with her eyes focused on the red fabric in the distance, she pulled her right leg back and kicked that yellow and blue ball with all the force she could muster.  
As the other teams progressed on with other referees keeping score, Karen decided she would keep a close eye on this team. Not so much because of the past friendship with Fox, but because she wanted his partner to know she was no threat.  
“Team five.” Karen said as they were also the last team to play, “You will now designate another team member to take the next shot.”  
Taking her direction, they walked towards where Scully had kicked the ball, which thankfully did have the number five printed on it.  
“Looks like you got it a few yards away, good job Dana.” Karen said smiling at the woman who didn’t seem too keen on smiling back at her.  
“Katie…you said you played soccer.” Scully turned her attention to the blonde with her curly locks in a high ponytail.  
Katie nodded as she focused on the ball and the hole. Scully had kicked the ball pretty close to the hole, but even a slight breeze could change the direction of the ball after she kicked it. Focusing on the hole, and pretending the center was the goalie – and it was Rachel Thomas the biggest bitch she had ever met – Katie steadied the ball with her foot, before removing her foot, swinging her right leg back and kicking it with just enough force to hit Rachel right in the face.  
Five sets of eyes watched the ball as it rolled towards the hole, all unable to move in fear of changing its direction as it was aiming right for it and when the ball vanished from view, they all stood motionless.  
“PAR TWO!” Karen yelled as she wrote it down on her scorepad.  
“I think we have a closer.” Mulder said high fiving Katie as she squealed in pride.   
Not all the holes went as easy as the first, maybe it was the heat, maybe it was the exhaustion of climbing a hill and then being expected to kick a ball into nine holes. The other teams were watching as team five’s ball was only a foot away from the last hole and even though it only needed a tap to go in, Mulder discovered the hard way on hole five that your foot can betray you.  
This time it was Scully’s turn. She was responsible for them receiving a par three or a much higher number. She didn’t want to screw this up. She wanted to win whatever the incredible prize the tax payers of this country had paid for.  
“You can do it, Dana…” Katie said as she watched Scully studying the ball.  
“It’s just a game, Scully.” Mulder added as he could tell by the scrunching of her forehead that she was stressed out.  
It was just a game, but she wanted to win. Nodding to her teammates and herself, she focused on the hole and gently tapped the ball before closing her eyes and praying the stupid game was over.  
Silence.   
Well, she had to have missed it then. Opening her eyes just a bit she saw the ball laying in the hole and her eyes widened as her teammates hugged her while jumping up and down. Her eyes focusing on the tallest team mate who mouthed ‘I knew you could do it.’  
The balls returned, the teams sat on the benches at the end of the ninth hole and waited. Karen had added up their score and handed it to a man at the resort, as did the other four judges.   
“Team one.” The man yelled out as they stood “Twenty-six points.”  
“Remember.” Mulder told his team, “The lowest score wins.”  
“No one got a nine.” Scully replied as she picked at her nails.  
“But twenty-six is pretty damn good.” He replied wanting to hold her hands to prevent her from nervously picking at them, but knowing he couldn’t, was sheer torture.  
“Team two. Thirty-eight points.”

“So far we are winning.” Ted replied, “I kept track in case we need to challenge.”  
“And how did we do?” Scully asked  
“Twenty-three.” Ted smiled, “I can do complex math problems in my head so keeping track of nine holes is nothing.”  
“Well, we still have two other teams to beat.” Mulder replied.  
“Team three – twenty-four points.”  
The excitement building, they all looked at one another, “We won…” Katie said softly.  
“Unless Karen screws us over.” Scully replied.  
“She wouldn’t do that.” Mulder said, “Stop it.”  
“Team four – twenty-nine points.”  
Team three began to rumble as team five stayed quiet waiting for their accurate score to be called.  
“Team five - twenty-three points.”  
Team three screamed in defeat as team five stayed calm. Karen nodded at them as she smiled and the man who called out the scores walked over to them and handed them four envelopes, “Courtesy of the Crystal Springs resort, please enjoy a complementary Elements Wellness Journey gift certificate.”  
“Thank you.” The four replied as the man nodded and walked away.  
“Please enjoy four hours of deep relaxation which includes a Hot Stone Massage, a Detox Mud Treatment, an Organic Facial, and a relaxing Scalp Massage.” Katie read the certificate out loud, “Oh man, I can really use this.”  
“But will we be able to?” Scully replied  
“Tomorrow.” Karen said, “You also have a day off from team building activities, as this will take the place of the activities scheduled. You all worked great together, team three has a hot head name Dave who kicked the ground so hard we have to replace a patch of grass, so your reward is a day off to relax and do what you want.”  
They all thanked Karen before heading back to their rooms to rest before dinner.  
The ride up on the elevator was quiet, all four happy they worked well together and won the game, but more so happy they had tomorrow to not have to deal with any team-building activities. As Katie and Scully entered their room Katie shrieked in excitement, “The pools! We can sleep in…like a real vacation!”  
“Like a real vacation…”Scully replied as if it was a real vacation she wouldn’t be sharing her room with another woman and she wouldn’t be clothed.  
Placing the certificate on the desk, she looked at Katie, “You really did great out there. The way you could line in on the target.”  
“Thanks.” Katie said as she sat at the end of the bed and watched Scully in the mirror, “Before he died, my dad took my brother and I to the shooting range a lot. I know people frown upon taking children to such places, but he was careful and made sure we wore the proper protection. He wanted me to be able to protect myself.” She shook her head, “I was only eleven when he died. My brother was fourteen. Here he wanted us to be safe by teaching us how to arm ourselves and he’s murdered with a kitchen knife.”  
“The world is a pretty messed up place.” Scully said to Katie’s reflection before turning around and looking directly at her, “I’ve seen a lot of it.”  
Katie nodded, “I bet. My brother joined the police academy right out of high school. He didn’t even care about college he just wanted to be out there protecting people from the same kind of monster who took our father and at my graduation ceremony at Quantico, I know I saw my father there.” Katie had been looking down and looked up, expecting Scully to question what she just said, “No one believed me.”  
“I do.” Scully replied taking a deep breath as she crossed her arms, “Maybe ten years ago I wouldn’t have, but I’ve seen things I refused to accept until I was forced to.”  
“I bet you and Fox are a great team.” She said as smile formed, “Eight years…”  
Scully nodded, “He’s taught me a lot.”  
“And you’ve taught him a lot.”  
“Probably.” Scully smiled as she went to her own bed and sat down, “Have you ever loved someone so much the pain of not being near them is too much to bear?” she hated admitting to that feeling, especially to someone she hardly knew, but it’s what she had felt since he was in that hospital bed in North Carolina and it was just getting stronger every day.  
Katie nodded, “Yeah…” she said her voice drifting a bit, “I don’t know how you do it.”  
“Well, until two weeks ago I was fine. I’ve had feelings for Mulder for quite a while, but I always pushed them aside, denied them even to myself. Then one day I just couldn’t do it anymore and ….” She shook her head, “And now we’re here and it’s going to be a very long week.”  
“So, you’ve only be together, together, for two weeks?”  
Scully nodded, “Give or take hospital stays thanks to tobacco beetles.”  
“Wow. I mean there’s an energy that feeds off the two of you. I’d think you’ve been together, together, for years.”  
“Looking back, I wish we had – but everything happens for a reason and everything happened August 21, 2000.”  
“You remembered the date.” Katie said in a romantic tone.  
“Yes, yes I did.” Scully said even laughing at herself as there was a knock on the door and Mulder shouting.  
“Chow time!” he yelled through the wood before heading towards the elevator.  
“Chow time.” Scully repeated as they grabbed their keycards and headed to dinner.  
After dinner, the four decided to have a drink together in celebration. Katie said she was buying and plopped a gold card on the bar as they ordered a bottle of champagne, “I can feel the massage now…” she said closing her eyes as she pictured all her sore muscles being relaxed.  
“Can’t wait to sit in a tub of mud.” Mulder replied as the bartender handed them their glasses and the already opened bottle of champagne. “Katie, we wouldn’t have won without you.”  
“It was a team effort.” Katie replied as she poured the champagne into the glasses and raised hers, instructing the others to do the same, “To team five.”  
“Team five!” they all yelled before clinking the glasses, oblivious to members of the other teams and their death stares.  
At midnight she was awakened with the need to use the toilet.  
At one she was awakened with the same need to use the toilet.  
And at two she was leaving the bathroom as the hotel room door opened and Scully got a first-row view of Ted with his tongue down Katie’s throat.  
“Stop it!” Katie giggled softly, “You’re going to wake Dana.”  
“Too late.” Scully said shocking the two apart, Katie’s Hello Kitty tank top on inside out reading yttiK olleH.  
Licking her lips, Katie stepped back from Ted, “You better get back to your room.”  
Ted nodded bashfully as Katie closed the door and walked past Scully to her bed.  
Turning on the light between their beds, Scully sat down and looked at Katie the way a mother looks at her daughter after she catches her sneaking back into the house, “You know, last night I thought I saw your bed empty but figured it was just a dream.”  
“Are you going to say anything?” Katie asked honestly fearful about her future.  
“No, of course not.” Scully said as she wasn’t a hypocrite, “But how long has THIS been going on?”  
“Two years. We met at the academy. More than anything we’re terrified of being separated and want to spend as much time together as possible.”  
“Honestly, I had no clue.”  
“We got pretty good at hiding it.” She said looking down and realizing her shirt was on inside out.  
Not caring that she had an audience, Katie pulled the tank top off over her head, causing Dana’s eyes to widen at the sight of her large breasts before she put the tank top back on and Hello Kitty was in front view.  
“You didn’t go to his room, did you?” Scully asked fearful her partner saw what Katie had been hiding under sports bras.  
“Ice machine room. It has a lock, and a table.”  
“You made love on a table…” Scully questioned given she was on the desk before Mulder got the call to meet up with Skinner in North Carolina.  
“You take what you can get when you’re desperate.” Katie shrugged.  
“Where is this ice room…” Scully asked.  
Katie smiled slyly, “At the end of the hall. Very secluded.”  
“I’ll keep that in mind.”  
“And you’re not going to say anything.” Katie asked again.  
“No, but be careful. I don’t want you two ruining your careers before you even have a chance to start them.”  
The sixteen other agents and recent graduates were being tortured with an obstacle course while the four with the day off slept till eight and enjoyed a nice breakfast without the rush and anxiety of other people around them. Katie finished off her fruit bowl as Ted worked on his omelet, Scully had yogurt as her partner indulged in hash browns, bacon and eggs. The table was quiet, as Mulder took a Percocet before bed due to the activities the day before and was oblivious to Ted sneaking out for a quickie in the middle of the night.  
“Our appointments are at ten.” Scully said in regards to the four-hour massages, “Katie and I will be in one room while Mulder and Ted in another.” She said as the quiet was becoming deafening, “Then we can meet up for lunch, or not. You two are free to do whatever you want. Just. Be Careful.”  
“What are you talking about?” the clueless man with the bacon in his hand asked.  
Making sure no one was around them Scully looked up at the man next to her, “You’re not aware Ted has been sneaking out of the room the last two nights to be with Katie?”  
Mulder turned to Ted, and dropped his bacon, “Theodore.” He said in his best Ward Cleaver voice, “Sneaking out to be with a girl!”  
Ted tried not to laugh at his mockery, but he did smile, “Sorry, dad.”  
Mulder snorted as he wiped his hands on a cloth napkin, “Kudos to them, I had no idea.”  
“I don’t recall you being that heavy a sleeper. God knows I’ve been cursed at for breathing too hard.” Scully said before she realized what she said.  
Ted’s eyes widened, “You two?” he said pointing his fork at the couple in front of them.  
“Now you see why I can’t be mad?” Mulder said taking a sip of orange juice, “My only question is…where?”  
“Ice room.” Ted replied, “It has a lock.”  
“And a table.” Scully replied, “Not that I want to know what that table has seen.”  
“I just don’t understand.” Katie said to the seasoned agents before her, “What is so wrong about being in love? Wouldn’t it make you more likely to do all you could to protect your partner? Isn’t what this is ALL about?” She said in reference to the team building seminar.  
“I think they’re more so afraid of what happens when relationships go wrong, let’s say you’re involved with your partner, and he loses feelings for you.”  
“Not going to happen.” Mulder cut in.  
“Anyway, you’re now broken hearted and licensed to own a handgun and one day while in the line of duty your partner gets shot. By you.”  
“Been there.” Mulder added.  
“That was seven years ago.” She said through gritted teeth, “And you deserved it.”  
“You shot him?” Ted asked looking at Scully then Mulder, “That’s why you know what it feels like.”  
“He wasn’t well and was hallucinating and trying to shoot an innocent person.”  
“Speaking of which, has anyone heard from rat boy recently?”  
“You’re going off topic.” Scully said rolling her eyes a bit, “My point is, that is why it’s forbidden – and with what happened to Karen.”  
“What did happen?” Katie asked, “She wasn’t clear.”  
“They were on a stakeout in Boise and while she had her partner’s dick in her mouth the suspect fled the scene.” Mulder replied.  
“Classy.” Scully said disgusted with his word usage in public.  
“Just giving them the facts.” Mulder replied.  
“Do you get it now?” Scully said, “That’s why I told you to be careful.”  
Katie and Ted nodded as the server came to collect their plates.  
The massage started precisely at ten am. They all arrived at their rooms by nine forty-five and clearly unashamed of her body, as there was no reason to be, Katie left the private bathroom wearing the provided terrycloth robe untied. Scully in a full terrycloth robe, untied it before laying down on the table and waiting for Victoria to lower it for her. Her eyes closed as the masseuse worked through her tight muscles, Scully didn’t expect to fall asleep, but when she awakened after a horrifying dream, she was thankful that Victoria was removing the stones from her body as Katie was already back in her robe.  
“Wasn’t that incredible.” Katie said as Scully slowly sat up with her mind whizzing and her heart heavy, “Are you ok?” as it was obvious the older woman before her was not.  
Tying the robe tightly around her waist, Scully put her hands in her pockets as she felt almost numb, “Yeah…” she replied to Katie but was unsure which question she was replying to.  
“Are you ready for the mud bath and facial?” Katie added.  
“Not really.” Scully said as they walked back to the private bathroom, “I think I need to lie down.”  
“You can lie down in the mud.” Katie replied as she really didn’t want to be alone.  
Scully nodded, “I just don’t feel well.” She replied picking up her folded clothing and pulling out the keycard, “I’m going to go to my room and lie down.”  
“In the robe…”  
“I..just need to lie down.” Scully replied leaving Katie in confusion.  
Passing Ted and Mulder on the way to the separate reserved mud rooms, as Katie opened the door to the room Mulder waited a moment before he followed her in – thankfully before she disrobed, “Where’s Dana?” he asked Katie who was startled a bit by Mulder following her.  
“Is this a couple’s reservation?” the attendant asked him.

“No.” Mulder stated quickly to make it evident that he and Katie were not a couple, “I’m looking for my partner.”  
“She wasn’t feeling well and went back to her room.” Katie replied knowing that if he was the man, she assumed he was he wouldn’t be continuing his relaxation treatment.  
Nodding, Mulder left the room and told Ted he was on his own. Ted stood in the doorway of the room where Katie stood and crooked his head a bit as he narrowed his green eyes on her.  
“Now, it’s couples’ reservation.” Katie replied as Ted walked in and let the door close behind him.  
Her body such a bundle of nerves, Scully feared she’d throw up and or scream if anyone touched her. The walk from the spa to her room wearing only a robe and slippers did get her some strange looks, but at this point she didn’t much care. Her stomach was a bundle of knots and her heart felt like it was turning into stone.  
There was a knock on the door which startled her a bit, “Occupied!” she yelled back, assuming it was the maid even though the maid had cleaned the room while she was out.  
“It’s me.” Mulder’s voice called back.  
Her eyes becoming moist just hearing his voice, Scully rushed to the door and opened it, seeing her partner in the same attire she was still dressed in.  
“What’s wrong?” he asked quickly walking in as she walked away from him, suddenly unable to look at him.  
As the door closed behind him, and Mulder stayed a good six feed behind her, Scully took a deep breath and turned around, as the tears freely fell from her eyes, “During the massage I fell asleep.”  
Mulder nodded, “Me too…” he quickly grew concerned, “The masseuse didn’t touch you somewhere she shouldn’t have, did she?”  
“No, she was completely professional.” She replied quickly understanding what he was getting at, “But, I had a dream I was pregnant.”  
Mulder felt a large lump forming in his throat, “Have you had these dreams before?”  
Scully nodded, “A lot…when I was younger, after everything with Emily and the invitro, but this one felt different. It felt real. Not only could I see an extended belly, I felt the baby inside. Kicking, moving…” she wiped her eyes as she looked up at the ceiling, “It felt so real.”  
Unsure how to reply, Mulder simply nodded, “I hate to ask if I was in the picture…”  
“That’s just it. You were…” she said looking down, “And you weren’t.”  
“Oh…” Mulder shoved his hands in his front pocket.  
“I was pregnant, I knew it was yours, but you weren’t there.”  
Another question he hated to ask, but he sometimes saw dreams as being the answers to questions we are too afraid to ask, “Was I…dead.” He said nearly choking on the word.  
Scully shrugged, “No…you were just…gone.”  
“I would never leave you. Even in your dreams.”  
“I KNOW!” she literally yelled back, “I know that now and I knew that in the dream. YOU WERE JUST GONE! AND IT WAS FUCKING TERRFYING!” she screamed as her body began to shake and Mulder feared if he didn’t grab her, she would collapse.  
Taking her in his arms, he wrapped them tightly around her letting Scully sob against his chest. Resting his chin upon her head, Mulder just held her as he closed his eyes and made the decision to get a ninth opinion if he had to. Even if they had to give him a new brain, he was going to do all he could to keep her from feeling this scared ever again.  
The spa appointments ended at two, by three Katie and Ted parted ways in the hallway as a very buzzed Katie entered the room after tossing the keycard on the desk to see Mulder in her roommate’s bed, Dana’s head on his bare chest with her eyes closed.  
Mulder brought his finger to his lips to let Katie know his partner was sleeping, nodding, Katie walked over to her own bed and sat down on the edge, looking at the two older agents before her, “Is she ok?” Katie asked.  
Mulder nodded, “Something just scared her during the massage.”  
“It wasn’t me naked was it?” Katie giggled a bit too loudly.  
“No, it wasn’t.” he smiled at the young woman, “You’re tipsy.”  
“We may have a had a couple of drinks after the facial. I’m pretty sure you can still fit it in.”  
“I’m ok.” Mulder said given what he had over the last couple hours was much better than a facial, “Glad you enjoyed yourself.”  
“Ted is all shiny.” She giggled again before sighing at the couple before her, “I don’t know what I’m going to do if we get separated. He’s all I think about every day, but if I get assigned to Duluth…”  
“There is no field office in Duluth, it’s in Minneapolis.” Mulder replied trying to keep his voice at a low volume as the woman resting on his chest slept.   
“Still.” She said tapping her sneakers on the floor, “What would you do if they transferred you or Dana?”  
“I’d quit and follow her wherever they sent her. Even if I had to move to Alaska… which, from what I’ve heard is a pretty cool place to live.”  
“You’d give up all you’ve worked for?”  
“For her, I’d do anything.” He said shifting a bit to take another look at her sleeping face, “You see, Katie, I don’t do very well in the romance department.”  
“I find that hard to believe.” Katie replied given she found herself looking at this older man more than she should have.  
“I appreciate the compliment, but it’s true. Maybe it’s because I was too into my work, or people thought I was nuts.”  
“At least you’re not the guy who believes in aliens.” She chuckled a bit before she noticed the way Mulder was looking at her, “Oh shit…you’re not that guy, are you?”  
“Depends…what have you heard?”  
“I don’t remember which class it was, but I think it was in January one of our instructors said ‘don’t be the guy who cost the bureau over a hundred-thousand dollars for an unreturned snowcat after he ran to Antarctica looking for a space ship.”  
Mulder smiled a bit at his quest to rescue his fair maiden now becoming an FBI Academy warning – and he had honestly forgotten about not returning the snowcat and still had no real recollection of how they got out of there until he woke up in a hospital in Ushuaia, “Yeah, that was me.”  
“So, you believe in aliens?” Katie asked him.  
Mulder nodded emphatically, “I believe the universe is too big to only have one planet that inhabits life and I’ve seen them.”  
“What do they look like.”  
“You and me.”  
“Really?” Katie asked now finding herself fascinated, “What else have you seen?”  
“Lots of things.” Mulder smiled in pride, “The bureau sees me as a joke, but if they knew even half of what I’ve seen and experienced they wouldn’t be laughing.”  
“I believe I saw my dad at my graduation.”  
“I take it he’s no longer with us.”  
Katie nodded solemnly, “1988. A man came up behind him while he was getting gas and slit his throat.” She said and no matter how many times she told the story, she could still envision it happening, “But I saw him there. Looking just like he did after he dropped me off at soccer practice that morning.”  
Mulder thought about what she said and then the year and her last name, “Peter Gilbert?”  
Katie nodded, “Dana said you helped catch the man who murdered him.”  
Mulder nodded, “My focus was on criminal profiling, getting to the heart of why people commit such acts and attempting to get into their heads.”  
“Do you know why he killed my dad?”  
As this young woman sat not five feet away from him, asking Mulder why a monster took her father away, Mulder pondered at the answer. Monte started killing prostitutes because his mother worked the streets and died of an infection after a john was too rough. Peter Gilbert’s partner was known for soliciting these women and the night Peter died, Monte had mistaken him for his partner, “Your father was just in the wrong place at the wrong time.” Which was better than knowing that the man who would then go on to marry Peter’s widow before he passed away from a heart attack only five years later was Monte’s intended victim.  
Katie nodded and sighed, “Thank you for helping catch him.”  
Mulder nodded and sighed as well, “It helped my career and took a killer off the streets. A win for everyone really.”  
“And that was before you knew Dana?”  
Mulder nodded, “Yes, we didn’t meet until years later.”  
“Did you know you loved her the moment you met her?”  
“Would you believe me if I said yes?”  
Katie nodded, “That’s how it was for me and Ted. Our first day at the academy and we just felt it. I’ve never felt for anyone what I feel for him. You know what I mean?”  
“I do.” Mulder said taking another glance at sleeping beauty.  
“Then why’d you wait? If you know you love someone why hide it?”  
“Well, at first I couldn’t because she assigned to spy on me.”  
“Spy…” Katie questioned, “That sounds insane.”  
“At first I thought so too. I assigned myself to a department most people ignored, the crazy cases normal people would laugh at. Someone claims a ghost raped them, well that would be something I would investigate.”  
“A ghost raping someone…”  
“It happened. But yes, most people wouldn’t believe that and even though I was used to the whispers and the strange looks, the bureau wanted me gone and assigned Scully to debunk everything I had worked on.”  
“Did she?”  
Mulder smiled, “Nope. We’re still here.”  
“Even after the snowcat?”  
“We’ve been through suspensions and had strange expenses deducted from our pay, but I realized a long time ago there’s nothing we can’t survive and no one else I want to be on this crazy journey with.”  
Her own eyes becoming damp with Mulder’s sentiment, Katie took a deep breath, “I think I need to see someone.”  
Mulder’s smile remaining he nodded in return, “There are cameras in the hallway.”  
“But they don’t work.” Katie replied getting up, “They do work in the elevators, but no hotel wants to be subpoenaed to provide such footage to lawyers. Even so, you can prove someone went into a room, you can’t prove why.”  
“You sound like a lawyer.”  
“Ted was working on his juris doctorate before he decided to join the bureau. He’s twenty-eight and was one of the oldest in our graduating class.”  
Mulder nodded, “I completely understand the need to change career direction. Just be careful.”  
“You too.” Katie said before leaving the room.  
Deeply sighing, Mulder kept his eyes forward as the blue-eyed beauty resting on his chest slowly opened hers.  
“No one else I want to be on this journey with.” She repeated as she propped herself up on his chest.  
“You were supposed to be sleeping.” Mulder replied looking directly at her.  
“I was, but she woke me up.” Scully sighed, “I love you too you know.”  
Mulder nodded, “I know.” He said smiling, “You’ve proven it time and time again.”  
A smile forming on her own lips, Scully kept her eyes on him as she slowly moved further under the covers before her head disappeared completely. Mulder’s eyes closing tightly as he felt her hair brush up against his bare thighs, and her fingers wrapping around his cock. Taking in the feel of her tongue as it ran up the shaft, then her lips closing over the head and taking him deep into her mouth, the fear of Katie or even the maid walking in being more of turn on than it should have, Mulder took her head in his hands as she slowly moved it up and down, her tongue twirling around the head before taking him in deeper. Scully feeling her own excitement grow, released him from her lips before sitting up, the comforter falling behind her and feeling the cool air-conditioned room hit her bare skin. Keeping her eyes on her partner she continued to run her right hand up and down his hardness as her left began to tease her clit. A moan escaping her lips was her signal for him to open his eyes as his hands moved to her waist as he watched her guide him inside her. Their gaze locked on one another Scully slid her hands up his chest to his shoulders where she gripped him tightly as the pain of her body adjusting to his fullness began to lessen. Each time it got easier, Mulder being much more endowed than she realized when he was fully erect, and as she began to slowly move up and down, her pace beginning to quicken as the pain became pleasurable to the point she feared she’d climax too soon, Scully stopped for a moment as her heart beat rapidly against her chest.  
“We could get caught…” Mulder said, words he said that Monday the week before the blasted phone rang.  
“The maid came while we were getting the massage.” She replied looking directly at him.  
“But Katie has a key…” Mulder continued.  
The thought of the perky blonde walking in on them filled Scully with a sense of excitement she didn’t know existed, “I know…” she said as her smile grew and she began to rotate her hips counterclockwise then clockwise, “Turns you on, doesn’t it.”  
Licking his lips, he didn’t want to be truthful, but it kind of did, “Maybe…”  
“You can be honest.” She said lowering herself as she tightened the hold on his cock, “I won’t be mad.”  
“Ok…” Mulder said now that her face was inches away from his and her nails were digging into his skin, “I would love it if that gorgeous twenty-three-year-old woman saw you fucking my brains out.”  
Licking her lips before running her tongue up his neck and to his bottom lip Scully purred before replying, “Me too.”   
As if a tiger had been released inside of her, Scully took his head in her hands, before diving her tongue between his lips and increasing the speed as she figuratively did all she could to fuck her partner’s brains out.  
“I need a bath.” Scully said after they had rested long enough for their heartbeats to regulate.  
Mulder sat up as he watched his naked partner basically skip out of the bed, a sheer contrast from the woman crying and shaking in his arms only hours earlier.  
“Katie’s still not back.” Mulder said looking at the alarm clock reading it was a quarter to five.  
“She probably won’t be.” Scully yelled from the bathroom as Mulder heard the water start running.  
“Dinner is at five.” Mulder replied.  
Walking back into the room, Scully looked at Katie’s empty bed then back at her partner, “We can make this work. We’re the only ones on this floor, no one has to know we’re not going to our own rooms and I heard what she said about the cameras.”  
“And it’s only two more nights.”  
Scully nodded, “I’ll make sure you get your rest.” She said feeling frisky again, “The bath is waiting.”   
Mulder nodded as he followed her into the bathroom, taking a minute to put the do not disturb on the other side of the door, “Works better than a tie.”  
The large tub sat before a wall sized mirror. As Scully sat in the tub essentially in her partner’s lap, feeling his fullness press against her lower back as his fingers delicately ran up and down her folds, paying special attention to her sensitive bud, Scully took a moment to look at their reflection, “Do you really believe in love at first sight or were you just saying that for Katie’s benefit?”  
As he brushed his index finger against her clit, Mulder softly kissed her neck, “When you came to my room all scared and shaking, wearing hardly anything under that red robe I wanted to do nothing more than lock the door and taste every inch of your body.”  
Her eyes closing as the pleasure pulsed through her veins, Scully let out a soft moan at the imagery, “You even remember the color.”  
“I remember everything.” He replied as his index finger entered her, her muscles tightening around it, “Ev…er..ey…thing.”  
His hand brushing against her sensitive clit as now two fingers moved in and out of her, Scully imagined their younger selves, in that cold motel room as the rain fell outside. Mulder removing her robe and running his tongue down her body, to her center and as his fingers moved faster, she felt her climax mounting and his teeth bit down on her neck as she released and shook in his arms.  
Katie and Ted were at the table when Mulder and Scully arrived fully bathed – and satisfied – thirty minutes after five.  
They nodded at the younger agents before sitting down, “What looks good?” Mulder said opening the menu.  
“Ev…er…ey…thing.” Scully said causing her partner to smirk from behind the menu.  
“There’s a chili cookoff tomorrow.” Katie said as she and Ted already knew what they wanted as they’d actually arrived on time, “And building bikes for charity.”  
“Sounds fun.” Mulder said realizing he was famished and his head hadn’t throbbed in hours, “Ribs, chicken, salmon…”  
“I’m going with the salmon.” Scully replied closing the menu and wanting to finish eating as quickly as possible. “It is brain food.”  
“Then I can definitely use that.” Mulder replied looking at Katie and Ted and how they didn’t look too happy, “What’s wrong?”  
“We’re terrified of our assignments.” Katie said, “I’m not sure we’ll be able to make it.”  
Mulder nodded and looked to Scully, “I know the feeling.” He said before turning back to them, “But don’t give up. Never give up.”  
“That’s easy to say.” Ted replied as he began to reorganize his silverware, “I’d marry her tomorrow if I could.”  
“I know the feeling.” Mulder took a deep sigh, “But seriously. Don’t. Give. Up.”  
“It’s his motto.” Scully smiled at the two, “He stands by it.”  
“More so I believe in it.” He said hoping beyond hope his own body wouldn’t give up on him.  
The arrangement was simple, at night they would sleep with their respective partners even if the term sleep was being thrown around loosely. At six am they would return to their assigned rooms and get ready for the day. Thursday morning, Mulder groaned when he had to leave, but waking up to the woman he loved was he best way to start a day. After breakfast they went to build bikes, where Mulder noticed the mark on his partner’s neck as he tightened the chain on a purple mountain bike.  
“Scully.” He whispered as she was focused on attaching the breaks.  
“What?” she whispered back.  
“There’s something on your neck.”  
“What?” Scully asked unsure what he was referring to.  
Biting his lip, he didn’t want to be too loud and mouthed. ‘hickey’ a term he hadn’t used since high school.  
Her eyes questioning the word then realizing it, Scully stood up and rushed to the ladies’ room. There it was, clear as day a good inch above her right collar bone. She remembered him paying close attention to her neck, but didn’t even see it while getting ready that morning. Buttoning up the polo to try to hide it as much as possible, Scully left the ladies room and returned to the bike room. Mulder noticed the polo now fully buttoned and nodded his approval before going back to the job at hand and honestly feeling proud as he had never given a woman a hickey before and even if it took thirty-seven years to do it, he was going to wear that badge with honor.  
Mulder had always had a special knack for cooking, he just didn’t have the time to do it much, so the chili cookoff was his time to shine. As Katie cut onions while cursing that she wasn’t crying, Ted peeled the carrots and Scully browned the ground beef. Even though he had been cutting down on meat for a while, one of the MANY neurologists he met with recommended a high protein diet so here he was apologizing to the cow he watched his partner dash onion powder onto. A little bit of cayenne, four tablespoons of olive oil, four minced garlic cloves and a few peppers along with cumin, basil, paprika and salt they had perfected a family recipe Mulder had engrained in him since childhood.  
They were known as the unbeatable team five and as they left the cookoff with their first-place blue ribbons Scully spent the entire elevator ride up thinking of a way to reward her partner.  
Their last dinner was a somber occasion, as Katie did what she could to hide her tears fearing she would only have a few more weeks to spend with Ted after they were assigned to different field offices with different partners. She would probably get stuck with Jennifer the uptight brunette who glared at them after they won the chili cook off. After retiring to their rooms for the night where Mulder spent a good forty-five minutes bringing Scully to the height of pleasure, he found himself wide awake after ten pm. Pulling on the jeans and the grey v neck he threw the bag for the second this hellish seminar was over, Mulder grabbed his partner’s keycard and headed to the bar for some much needed cranial pain relief.  
“Agent Mulder…” A voice he knew all too well said behind him as he nursed his second scotch, “It’s well past curfew.”  
Mulder sighed and took a swig, “The seminar is over, Karen.”   
Karen pulled up next to him and ordered a vodka and soda, “Thank God.” She replied, “I’m not sure how much longer I can do these.”  
“You seem to enjoy it.”  
“Jake sells real estate in Chicago now.” She said thanking the bartender for her drink, “We make a good living. I don’t need to do this.”  
“You miss your kids.” He said looking at her.  
Karen nodded as she took a quick drink then looked at Mulder, “Maybe I came back to prove something, I don’t know, but this is the last one. They can find someone else to babysit.” She took another drink as she watched Mulder finger the rim of his glass, “Do you ever think of doing anything else?”  
“Why? Are you trying to give me some kind of clue?”  
“No. I’m only supposed to report disorderly behavior; giving your partner a hickey doesn’t count in my book.”  
“Just don’t let her know you saw it.”  
Karen nodded, “You do work well together.”  
“She’s the best thing that ever happened to me.” He sighed as something else bothering him came to the surface, “Karen, I need your help.”  
“Since when do you need my help?”  
“Not necessarily for me, but for two other people. Two other people who would be lost without one another.”  
Karen sighed, “Ted and Katie.”  
“You knew?”  
“Everyone knew.” She said, “From what I was told, those two didn’t hide it very well at the academy. This was almost a test to see how they worked together with their clothes on which is why they were put with you and your partner in the first place. I had heard the rumors about the two of you, but it wasn’t until I met her that I saw it for myself.”  
“Letting them stay together can only help the bureau.”  
Karen nodded, “I’ve thought about that, but at the same time they can’t be reckless.”  
“You would know.”   
Shoving him a bit, Karen finished her drink before ordering another, “Finding suitable partners for agents isn’t the easiest thing. You can get oil and water or-“  
“Oil and vinegar?” Mulder laughed at his own joke.  
“Or Fox Mulder and Dana Scully.” Karen sighed as she took her second drink, “Aside from your extracurricular activities you two have closed more cases than any other agent in the bureau. That’s something to be proud of, regardless of how you perceive the FBI thinks of you.”  
Mulder eyed her a bit, “Are you keeping tabs on me?”  
“It’s my job to learn about my students and let’s say there was a lot of information out there and most of it is good.”  
Mulder shrugged, “Thanks.”  
“I’m serious. So, I have ten very green agents I have to match up together and just hope for a miracle.”  
“Eight.” Mulder eyed her, “They need to stay together.”  
“And if it blows up whose fault will that be?”  
“I don’t know.” Mulder sighed, “All I do know is when you do find that person you are meant to be with, you will do everything in your power to stay with them. You know I’m right. How many men go from the FBI to real estate to stay with the woman they love?”  
“I hear you.” She said quickly downing her drink before leaving a fifty on the bar.  
“Fifty, huh?” Mulder asked.  
“You said it’s good to be generous. Now, I need to call my husband.” Karen smiled at Mulder before leaving the bar.  
On Friday, Mulder left a little after six to his room where Katie and Ted were still sleeping in one another’s arms clearly having turned off the alarm so they could spend a few more minutes together. He didn’t want to wake them, but he needed to shower and by the time he got out of the shower Ted was alone in the bed staring blankly at the wall.  
“Wishing now you stayed in law?” Mulder joked as he grabbed the last black FBI polo he’d ever have to wear out of his suitcase.  
“No, then I would have never met Katie.” Ted replied forgetting he was still naked under the sheets.  
“Yeah.” Mulder said sitting on his not really slept in bed and pulling the polo over his still damp chest, “She’s a sweet girl.”  
“She’s the greatest. She makes me laugh all the time, is nice to everyone…she’s one in a million.”  
Realizing he was basically talking to his younger self, Mulder stood up and patted Ted on the shoulder, “Whatever happens, never forget that feeling.”  
“Angela Marshall and Carter Willis.” Karen said as the twenty agents, sat in the same meeting room they initially met in and Karen read off the names of those who would be partnered together, “Albuquerque field office.”  
Angela a quiet brunette nodded as another seasoned agent from Albuquerque handed her a manila envelope. Carter, a loud abrasive man who kicked the pot after losing the chili kick off sneered as he grabbed the envelope from Agent Carlson and mumbled something about Mexicans.  
“I’m thinking she didn’t choose well.” Scully whispered to her partner.  
“A hot head with a quiet reserved woman…oh that never works.” He said smiling.  
“I’m far from quiet.”  
“True.”  
“Michael Klein and Jason Brown.” Karen continued, “San Antonio Field Office.”  
“Yee Haw!” Michael hollered out as Agent Jackson handed him his envelope.  
“We weren’t given any envelopes.” Scully said looking at the quiet duo across from her.  
“It just means they won’t be assigned to DC. Hardly any new agents will be until they get rid of some of us old folks.”  
“Jennifer Jacobs and Amanda Richardson.” Karen looked to the two women who seemed to get along pretty well during the challenges – maybe even a little too well, “New Orleans field office.”  
“ALL THE JAMBALAYA!” Jennifer cheered as Amanda smiled in happiness thanking Agent Lincoln for her envelope.  
“They rarely team up two women…” Scully said looking at how happy the two ladies were.  
Mulder nodded as Karen smiled at them and nodded, “She knows what she’s doing.”  
“Are you saying…” Scully looked again at Jennifer and Amanda, “Oh…” she said, her heart filling with warmth as she the ladies opened their envelopes, sitting inches apart, looking over their assignment details. “Good job, Karen.” As she realized maybe Karen wasn’t as bad as she thought.  
“Christopher Ramirez and Veronica McKinney, Seattle field office.”  
There were only two new agents left, and they didn’t even realize it until Karen said their names and that they were assigned – together – at the Denver field office. Katie’s hands shook as Agent Davis handed her the manila folder and she pulled out the letter detailing her assignment and seeing that she, Kathleen Gilbert had been assigned as a special agent and her partner would be Theodore Kennedy, her eyes filled with tears. When she was finally able to look up, she saw not only Dana and Fox smiling at her but Karen as well.  
“Thank you all for coming and have safe trip home.” Karen said as everyone got up from their chairs to return to their rooms to retrieve their items.  
“You did this.” Scully said grabbing her partner’s arm, “You told Karen to keep them together.”  
“I may have advised…” Mulder said watching as they all left the room, “But in the end, they did it.”  
Sighing, Scully shook her head, “You’re incredible.”  
“Oh, I know, and I’ll prove it tonight.”  
It took five hours to get home, and after dropping Scully off at her apartment Mulder advised he would be back at five for their proper date. As they hadn’t really had a proper date, she was excited to see what he had planned. Pulling out a sleeveless black dress and doing her best to cover the purple marking on her neck with a lot of concealer, Scully put on her three-inch heels and sprayed just the right amount of perfume on her wrists before waiting on the couch at ten till five.  
At precisely five there was a knock on her door, and like a woman from another time waiting for her beau, Scully opened the door to see her partner wearing jeans, an Orioles shirt and hat.  
“Wow…” Mulder said looking over the woman before her, “Maybe I should have told you where we were going.”  
“I can see that.” She said crossing her arms, “Doesn’t this wardrobe violate some Yankees fan oath?”  
“Only if fellow Yankees fans see me in it.” He smiled, “I know I should have told you, but do you remember telling me about when you went to a game with a guy named Travis when you were fifteen and he left you at the concession stand and you had to call your brother to pick you up?”  
“And why are you reminding me of this?”  
“My goal, if possible, is to turn every bad memory you had with a guy into a good one. Not only do we have GREAT seats behind home plate for the game tonight against the Seattle Mariners, I booked a room for two nights at the Hyatt Regency at the harbor. You always say how much you miss Maryland and the crabs.”  
Overwhelmed that this man she had known for eight years not only remembered every bad date she had ever told him, but wanted to do all he could to make up for those bad dates was almost too much to take. “Sometimes I can’t believe you’re real.”  
“Well, I figure we’re only on this planet a short while, we might as well make the best of it.”  
Smiling in return, Scully nodded as she opened the door wider for him to enter. “I’ll change.”  
“Good.” Mulder replied walking in and closing the door behind him, “People might look at you funny in that dress and those heels.”  
“I honestly don’t own any Orioles paraphernalia.” Scully yelled from the bedroom as she pulled off the dress and kicked off her heels revealing nothing underneath which was her intention.  
“Campden Yards does have stores. Just find something you can easily pull off in the ladies’ room.”  
Doing just that, she grabbed a bra and black tank top and pulled them on before pulling her freshly washed jeans out of the dresser and pulling them on as well as socks and shoes before rejoining her partner in the Livingroom, “Better?”  
“I wouldn’t say better, but more appropriate.”  
“But you didn’t give me time to pack.”  
“Whatever you need we can buy there. Just make sure electrical appliances are turned off and the door is locked.” He said opening her door.  
Grabbing her purse, she took a minute to just look at him in that goofy t-shirt and hat, “You’re incredible.”  
“I know.” Mulder replied, “And you’ve had a lot of bad dates with a lot of horrible men.”  
“I know.” Scully said following him out and locking the door behind her.


End file.
